Big roads – for the large-scale project

At the beginning of 2016, Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov presented to the government the concept of creation in Tatarstan of the innovative territorial and production cluster Innokam, in which the enterprises of the Nizhnekamsk industrial hub play first fiddle. Since the petrochemical industry, concentrated in Nizhnyaya Kama, has been the 'point of growth' of the economy for many years.

The creation of the unique industrial cluster and the implementation of large-scale investment projects of its members will more fully reveal the industrial and innovative potential of Innokam in the future. Besides, the realized ambitious projects of the companies, which are an integral part of it, will have a huge value not only in Tatarstan but also throughout Russia.

In the new development strategy of Nizhnekamskneftekhim, to be completed by 2026, the main project is the olefin complex. They started thinking about its construction in 2008. The thing is that the company's production capacity has already been fully exploited and the further development is possible only on the basis of the new basic capacities. This factor has become fundamental. According to the project, the complex will increase threefold – up to 1.8 million tonnes — the production of ethylene, increase the production of polymers threefold and of rubbers — up to 1 million tonnes. The project implementation consists of two stages, each of which involves the construction of a plant for the production of ethylene with the capacity of 600 thousand tonnes per year and the integrated plants for the production of plastics.

Of course, such rapid development of the company and the manifold increase in the volume of commodity output by 2026 requires the availability of appropriate infrastructure in terms of logistics. The one that exists now is already for several years unable to cope with the increasing yearly workload due to the growing number of vehicles and increasing volume of commodity output and raw materials transported through it.

In the solution of the issues of the construction of new road junctions, railway lines and nodes, understanding the importance of a new ethylene complex, the leadership of TAIF represented by Director General Albert Shigabutdinov, the chairperson of the Board of Directors of Nizhnekamskneftekhim PJSC Vladimir Busygin and the top managers of the company were seeking the support in various government agencies, federal ministries and departments. In 2015, the project of the olefin complex, which is a part of the Kama cluster was included in the Republican 'Strategy-2030'.

In last June, the Tatarstan State Council approved it as a law, and the project of the olefin complex with a capacity of 1.2 million tonnes of ethylene per year was considered at a meeting of the Security Council under the President of Tatarstan. Reporting at the meeting on the development strategy of TAIF group of companies, the Director General Albert Shigabutdinov drew attention of the Council members on the issues associated with the infrastructure of the Kama industrial hub, stressing that the solution requires the support of the governments of the Republic and of the Russian Federation.

On 24 June of this year, at the meeting of the Presidium of the Presidential Council for Economic Modernisation and Innovative Development the head of the government Dmitry Medvedev said that the concept of Innokam and its road map had been approved.

280 million rubles from TAIF – for the road repairs of the industrial zone of Nizhnekamsk and more

As the chairperson of the Board of Directors of Nizhnekamskneftekhim Vladimir Busygin noted to Realnoe Vremya, the first step was the proposal to include in the federal programme of several large-scale infrastructure projects. The first one concerns the construction of a bridge across Kama River near Sokolka village and the federal highway M-7 bypassing Nizhnekamsk and Naberezhnye Chelny with a total length of 84 km. The second one concerns the load capacity expansion of Kama railway junction, the reconstruction of the bridge over Zai River and the capacity increase of the Nizhnekamsk — Chistopol road. The third project is the reconstruction and construction of roads in Nizhnekamsk and Nizhnekamsk municipal rayon, including the reconstruction of roads leading to the industrial zone and the Base of Construction Industry (BCI).

The railway lines also require development. The large-scale reconstruction awaits the railway sections 'Krugloe Pole – Agryz' and 'Krugloe Pole – Biklyan', for which Nizhnekamskneftekhim receives a significant portion of raw materials for its production, and sends the finished products to different parts of the country.

The big repair of three sections of roads of the industrial zone that has already been launched in the framework of implementation of infrastructure projects is in full swing. The Director General of Nizhnekamskneftehim Azat Bikmurzin, the Mayor of Nizhnekamsk Aidar Metshin and journalists got acquainted with the course of its implementation.

The Director General of Nizhnekamskneftehim Azat Bikmurzin, the Mayor of Nizhnekamsk Aidar Metshin and journalists got acquainted with the course of implementation of the road repairs

Director General of Nizhnekamskneftehim PJSC Azat Bikmurzin said at the meeting with journalists that 'the current year for the enterprises of group of companies TAIF will be the period of implementation of a number of large-scale investment projects, requiring multi-billion investments, such as: the complex of advanced processing of oil heavy residues at TAIF-NK, the modernization of Nizhnekamsk CHP-1 'TGK-16', the realization by Nizhnekamskneftekhim of the project of the olefin complex.

Besides, this year Nizhnekamskneftekhim in the framework of realization of the development strategy plans to spend over 20 billion rubles for expanding of production capacities of synthetic rubbers, the production of new brand of rubber — SSBR. The next step — the launch of the modernized production of alpha-olefins. Besides, the company conducts the reconstruction of strategically important environment conservation unit — the biological treatment facilities. Despite all these challenges, understanding the importance of the moment – the necessity now to solve the infrastructural transport problems, Director General of TAIF JSC Albert Shigaboutdinov has approved the allocation by Nizhnekamskneftekhim of about 120 million rubles for a full cycle of works on the reconstruction of roads in the industrial zone in the area of BCI.

These roads are not only the main link between the city and the industrial hub where in addition to NKNK there are other large industrial enterprises but also they serve as logistics arteries for the transportation of hauls. Therefore, the high quality of roads will guarantee their timely delivery both to consumers and enterprise. The updated roadway surface, undoubtedly, will make the transportation of the workers to the industrial zone and home more convenient and quick. These roads for over 40 years of operation came in complete disrepair, and it is almost impossible to drive on them. The major road repairs are conducted using the most modern technologies, which ensure long service life and will help to avoid rutting.

The repair works of three road sections at once will help to unload the city highways, and, most importantly, to solve the problem of traffic jams at peak hours at 'sobolekovskaya' highway, which is serviced by Nizhnekamskneftekhim

The top layers of pavement will be removed from the repaired road sections. To prevent their 'waviness', there will be laid the leveling layer of asphalt, and on the top – other two layers of asphalt with a total thickness of 12 cm. Repair works are carried out in two shifts, around the clock, seven days a week. The task for the contractor — to complete the reconstruction of all sections of road by the birthday of Nizhnekamsk, the celebration of which is scheduled on 20 August.

The repair works of three road sections at once will help to unload the city highways, and, most importantly, to solve the problem of traffic jams at peak hours at 'sobolekovskaya' highway, which is serviced by Nizhnekamskneftekhim.

The repair of roads in the industrial zone — not the only present made by the company to the upcoming 50th anniversary of Nizhnekamsk. This year the city has already received 160 million rubles, 70 million rubles of which were allocated for the improvement and repair of local roads, and another 90 million — for the major reconstruction and resettlement of the embankment of the Kama River. By the anniversary of the city, with the support of TAIF group of companies, it will be transformed beyond recognition and will be not only the favorite place of citizens but also a new hallmark of Nizhnekamsk.

Of course, all these plans and tasks on ensuring of well-developed infrastructure of the Kama industrial zone, which today are fulfilled by Nizhnekamskneftekhim with the support of the management of TAIF, would be an advantage not only for the industrial giant and other businesses but also will play a role in the development of Nizhnekamsk. However, Nizhnekamskneftekhim is destined to be always ready to help the city. The company is engaged in the solution of city social objectives practically since its foundation, and there is a reason that the enterprise has the status of city-forming.

'This is the pattern of Nizhnekamskneftekhim and TAIF group of companies'

At the meeting of the Director General of Nizhnekamskneftekhim and the Mayor of Nizhnekamsk with the media, Aydar Metshin highlighted the importance of the support provided to the city by TAIF group and the main city enterprise: 'Two years ago we actualized the attachment of roads to the industrial enterprises, and I want to thank Nizhnekamskneftekhim again. The main road to the industrial zone — sobolekovskaya — even at such tense load is always in excellent condition. This is the pattern Nizhnekamskneftekhim and TAIF group of companies. And this another specific case – it is an example, which characterizes the interaction of city and the industry.'

100 billion rubles will be invested in the roads of Innokam

According to the adopted by the Russian government programme on the realization of the project of the complex development of Kama agglomeration Innokam, in which it is planned to invest 750 billion rubles, the significant changes awaits the road infrastructure of Nizhnekamsk municipal rayon. According to the preliminary estimates, this will require 100 billion rubles.

The leadership of Nizhnekamsk, in order to realize the tasks on the development of the road infrastructure of the rayon, needs to conduct a huge work with the government structures of different levels: from the development of the project with the inclusion of the stages of its realization in the budgets of the city and the rayon, the close cooperation with the project institutions, different state ministries and departments, to the search of reliable contractors. The sources of financing and the methodology of allocating of inter-budget transfers have not been determined by the Russian government yet. But of course, the realization of the projects on the development of road infrastructure will be implemented in the framework of state-private partnership. And, as usual, Nizhnekamsk will receive the support of the major industrial enterprises.